moderate²

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈmɑdəɹeɪt/ UK /ˈmɒdəɹeɪt/ See IPA manual

verb

Audio for this pronunciation isn’t available yet.

Homographs: moderate¹ /ˈmɑdəɹət/ — adj

Pronunciation and word origins: Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Freq #16023

Meanings

1

verb
To make something less strong, severe, or extreme.

He tried to moderate his tone when the students started crying.
2

verb
To lead or control a discussion or meeting.

A journalist moderated the debate between the candidates.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make something less... soften mitigate reduce

2 verb · to lead or control a... chair

Etymology

From Middle English moderaten (“to restrain, curb; (law) modify”), from moderat(e) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin moderātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

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